Steam generator



June 5,1928. 1,672,480

G. A. BRYAN STEAM GENERATOR Filed Aug/6, 1921 2 s t -sh t, 1

- INVENTOR. at, 6. BY

ATTORNEY-2 June 5, 1928. 1,672,480 G. A. BRYAN STEAM GENERATOR Fi 1921 2sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR.

z /6 a Q BY I /2 m g 4 ATT0RNEYS GEORGE ALFRED BR AN, or

rss PATENT orrlcs.

PERU, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR '10 BRYAN HABVESTER COM- .ramr, A CQRPOBATION onNEW MEXICO.

STEAM GENERATOR.

Application filed August 6, 1921. Serial No. 490,354.

My invention is particularly applicable to .portable steam generatorsadapted for use in. steam tractors, trucks, automobiles and the like,although applicable to other uses, and employs thewater tube principledisclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 339,945 filed Nov. 22,1919, which became Patent No. 1,497,973, June' 17, 1924. Objects of myinvention, in general are to obtain eflicient circulation of the water,dryness of the steam, thorough absorption of the heat, safety fromexplosion, and suflicient water and steam capacity. Certain othermechanical objects are facility in assembling and disassembling thegenerator or any parts thereof, freedom from expansion, and suflicientdurability and rigidity of construction. Still other objects andadvantages of myinvention will appear from the following description. I

In accordance with this invention the steam is collected first in asteam-separating drum and passed over from this first drum:

into a steam drum from which steam is taken to the engine, therebyseparating the water from the steam and preventing any water from beingdrawn over into the engine.

Preferably there are two such separating drums, one on each side andwelded or otherwise secured on-top of U-shape water frames, the bases ofwhich form headers for the water tubes.

Down or return pipes may join each steam separating drum with its headerand, to facilitate circulation, I have found it advantageous to insulatethese down pipes from the heating space by sheets of asbestos or thelike between the down pipes and ends of thewater tubes.

As a means for eliminating leakyconnections my invention contemplates a.special .form of connection for all the detachable tubes, consisting. ofa taper nipple or plug fitting into taper holes in the header or othermember to which the tubes are connected, the taper fitting beingattached to the end of'the tube, and means, such as a plate engaged by anut or a threaded stem, for adj ustably ex'-. on the plate to force theplug' erting pressure .into the hole. Preferably the -plate over.-

' lies two adjacent taper fittings.

invention also comprehends various other features of construction, aswill hereinafter more fully ap ar. 1 p A I shall now descri theillustrated eming bodiment of my invention and shall thereafter pointout my invention in claims.

Fig. 1 is a front end elevation, partially in section, of a generatorembodying my invention; I Fig. 2'-is a side elevation of the same; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are details, in plan and-elevat-ion, of the taper couplingconstruction.

The generator is shown as supported on 'the frame or chassis 1 of aself-propelled vehicle and covered by a suitable removable hood 2 whichis made in two sections, as shown, and supported upon the frame of thevehicle. The burner may be arranged directly underneath the generator,or a tire box construction may be used in conjunction with the generatorsuch as disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 475,- 989,patented Aug. 30, 1927, Patent No. 1,640,346, which delivers the gasesof combustion underneath the boiler, the gases giving up their heat tothe water tubes as they rise through'them.

The water distributing system consists essentially of two unitary sidestructures which are joined together and balancedby removablecross'tubes. Eachside structure consists of a substantial U-shapetubular casting having a drum welded or otherwise secured to the upperends of the casting,

the U-shape casting 3 on the left side of the generator (as viewed fromthe front in Fig. 1) being welded to 'the drum 4, and

i the U-shape casting 5 on the right hand side of the generator beingwelded tothe drum 6. The water level is normally in the two drums 4 and6. The water legs 3 and 5 are connected at the top and bottom at boththeir front and rear ends by cross tubes7 and 8 which serve to balancethe two side sections and tie them together, being provided with rightand left hand threads for the purpose. In thi s'way they can be .easilyinserted or taken out to assemble the generator or to disassemble it, asin taking off one of the sides for-the purpose of repair. The packnuts 9serve as staysto the generator and also hold a'suitable gasket. i

' The water tubes are arranged in two series 10 and 11 Lwhich alternatewith each other,

the first series being detachably connected at their lower ends to thebottom leg of the u-shape member 3 as a header and at their upper endsto the drum 4, and the series 11 being deta hably conne ed t the r l werinto their tapered opening.

headers to those in the drums. The runs are inclined upwardly so as tofacilitate circulation, and the coils are so shaped that the succeedingruns are ofiset from each other. The bends connecting the runs areinclined successivel in opposite directions and the correspon ing bendsof two adjacent tubeswhich are on opposite sides of the heating chamberare inclined in the same direction, thereby effecting the staggeredrelation. From this it results that each run except the lowermost isabove a space between two runs, which in the construction shown, arethose of two adjacent coils. The runs are thus exposed to the fullestextent to the heat from the gases which pass upward through the coils.

The construction of the connections between these tubes and the membersto which they are joined at their ends is the same as that shown for allof the detachable tubes in the enerator and is shown in detail in Figs.

3 an 4. On each end of each tube is welded a taper fittin plug or nipple'13 extending at right angles to the direction of the tube,,'and thistaper 'plug is inserted into a tapered hole in the member to which theconnection is made. Overlying the back face of' two adjacent taperfittings 12 is a bearing plate 14 which has a hole therein fitting overa threaded This stud bolt may, as shown, be-screwed into a hole tappedin the, casing, or it may be secured in a boss on the casin or in anyother suitable way. An adJustab e nut 16 on the stem 15 beats upon theouter face of the plate 14 andserves to adjustably press the two nipplesThere is therefore one stud 'bolt for each two tubes, and it is evidentthat expansion and contraction plings, an

cannot affect the tightness of the connection, nor is there likelihoodof the joint being made leaky by vibration. The stud bolts, befipg wellout to the edge, are easily acces- S1 e. lt is evident that if one ofthe tubes bursts it IS merelg necessary to loosen the two con the topand bottom bends may, if necessary, be made shorter than the rest toafl'ord access to the coupling. The broken tube may then be. withdrawnand a new tube inserted without entailing any material dedin ordertofacilitate the return circula water pipes.

12 which has a hollow tapered tion of the water I preferably employ aplurality of down pipes 17 connect-mg the drums 4 and 6 with theirrespective base headers. These down' pipes are) shown as connected withthe same tapered fittings as described above in connection with the Inorder to retain the heat within the heating chamber and at the same timekeep the down pipes 17 at a lower temrature than the water tubes,thereby causlng a speedy return of the water to the bottom water header,a sheet of heat insulating material 18, such as asbestos, may beinserted between the-ends of the water tubes and the down pipes 17 onboth sides of the generator. In removing a broken water tube in themanner above described, the heat insulating sheet 18 must be removed,which is easily done due to its pliable nature, and .in most instancesit will also be necessary to remove one of the down pipes 17.

Midway between the two side drums 4 and 6 and at a higher level is asteam-drum 19 which communicates with both of the two side drums throughsteampipes 20 and 21 which enter. the tops of the drums. These pipes 20and 21 ha e the same tapered fittings as already described and inaddition the plugs in the drum .19 are extended to substantially thecenter of the drum 19, as

indicated in Fig. 1. .The purpose of these extensions is to carry anywater that comes through the pipes 20 and 21 well down into the drum 19,'so that it will be collected at the bottom and not pulled out into theengine. Steam for the engine is taken out of the top of the drum 19through the pipe 22. I

Water of'condensation is drained from the drum- 19 back into side drums4 and 6 through the pipes. 23 and 24. stem or stud bolt 15 carried b themember to which the. connection is ma e.

Heretofore. steam generators of the general type to which the presentinvention belongs have commonly been made by attaching together a largeand substantially innumerable'number of small individual partsapparently without regard to convenience in renewing these parts, and noprovision being made for taking the generator apart in substantiallylarge sections, for convenience in handling and effecting repairs. Suchgenerators have commonly been made largely or substantially altogetherfrom ordinary piping and pipe fittings screwed together. According tothe "present invention. as illustrated in the drawings and hereinbeforedescribed, it isto be noted that the individual 4 urpose ofing to walkback and forth around the gen erator from one side thereof to the other.For example, to renew. one .of the water tubes 10, it is merelynecessary to loosen the lower coupling 12 by which the lower end of thistube is connected to the header formed by the lowerihorizontal portionof the hollow U -shaped' member 3, and 'to loosen the upper coupling 12by which the upper end of thistube is connected to the steam separatingdrum 4 at the same side of the generator,

" whereupon the disconnected tube may be slipped out at the same side ofthe generator and replaced by a new tube, the heatinsulating sheet 18first being slipped out and also one of the down tubes 17 being removedshould one of these tubes happen to be in the way of the particularwater tube to .be renewed.- Likewise the steam pipes 20 and 21 and thedrain pipes 23 and 24 may be similarly readily disconnected at one orboth of'their ends for the renewal of these pipes individually, or ifdesired for the removal of the steam drum 19. \Vhcn the steam drum 19has been disconnected from the separating drums 4 and 6, the water dis--tributing system of the generator may be separated laterally into twosections or side parts merely by unscrewing the right and left handscrew threaded connecting tubes 7 and 8. The tubular,U-shaped side memher 3 then carries with it the separating drum 4 and all of the watertubes 10 togetherwith the down tubes 17,-and likewise the side member 5will carry with it the separating drum 6 and all of the watertubes 11,as well as the down tubes 17 at that side of the generator. It isto benoted in this connection that the U-shaped side members 3 and 5, rigidlyconnected together by the strong transverse-tubes 7 and 8, provide astrong and r gid framework for supporting all of the other parts of thegenerator, which as a whole may be supported from the strong andrigidside pieces 3 and 5, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1 in which thelower horizontal header portions of the members 3 and 5 are shown asmounted upon brackets "secured to the. framepieces 1 of the motorvehicle chassis. It is also to be noted that the construction of thegenerator is such as to enable each base header and its two up.

a of which a maximum of power can be ob tained for a minimum of spaceoccupied by the power plant, thereby rendering the genoratorparticularly suitable for installation in motor cars. as well asforother uses. For example, among the-uses to which the device of thepresent invention has been ad vantageously applied, is for heatingpurposes in dwellings and other buildings, for which use it has beenfound highly efficient and where the small amount of space occupied is adecided advantage.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructionshown in the drawings and above particularly describedwi'thin theprinciple and scope of my invention.

I claim: 7

1. In a steam generator, two unitary side pieces each comprising asubstantially U- shape tubular member and a drum secured to the top endsthereof, removable cross tubes joining the ends of the side pieces attop pipes, and a steam drum communicating with both of the two saiddrums.

2. In a steam. generator, two side pieces each comprising asubstantially U-shape tubular member and a steam separating drum secureddirectly upon the ends thereof and provided in its underside withopenings registering with said ends, removable cross tubes joining theends of the side pieces at top and bottom, separately disconnectible andre movable water tubes running back and forth across the generator andconnecting the drum and base of each side piece, a steam drum disposedbetween and at a higher elevation than the two steam separating drums,inclined drain pipes disconnectibly connecting the bottom of the steamdrum with the bular member and a steam separating drum secured directlyupon the ends thereof and provided in its under side with openingsregistering with said ends, removable cross tubes joining the ends ofthe side pieces at.

top and bottom, separately disconnectible and removable water tubesrunning back and forth across-the generator and connecting the'drum andbase ofeach side. piece, a steam drum disposed between and at a higherelevation than the two steam separating drums,- means for draining waterfrom the bottom of the steam drum, and separately I disconnectible andremovable steam tubes extending at an inclination and connecting a thetop of each steam separating drum with the top of the steam drum atintervals along their ength, the upper ends of said steam tubes beingprovided with downward extensions entering the steam drum in the topremoved with the steam tubes as a part thereof. I v 4. 'In a steamgenerator, the combination.

with a, water distributing system comprising two side members, eachincluding a base header and a top drum and water legs 10111 ing thesame, cross tubes joining the side members, and a series of water tubesjoining each header with its respective drum, the water tube being bentupon themselves to run back and forth substantially across the gen- .andforth substantially across the erator and being detachably connectedat'their two ends and having their bends inclined back and forth atopposite inclinations at opposite sides of the generator so as to bringthe runs into staggered relation to each other,

thereby to enable the tubes as a whole to nest ,one within another.

5.In a steam generator, the combination with. a water distributingsystem comprising two sidev members, each includin a base header and atop drum and water egs joining the same, cross tubes joining the sidemembers,a series of water tubes joining each header with its respectivedrum, the water tubes being bent upon themselves to run back eneratdrand being detachably connected at %heir two ends and having their bendsinclined so as to bring the runsiinto staggered relation to each other,a framesupporting the generator, and a removable hoodcovering thegenerator and supported by said frame.

6. In a steam generator, a water distributing system comprising thecombination of two substantially U-shaped tubular side members eachforming at its base a substan tially horizontal water header from eachend of which rises an upstanding M31161 leg', "a steam separating drumcarried directly upon the upper ends of: thewater legs of 'each saidmember and into the lower side of which said legs directly open, twosets of serpentine water tubes running back and forth across thegenerator and the'tub'esof one set being arranged in alternate relation.to the tubes of the other. set alongthe length' of the generator and thelower ends of all of the water tubes in'one set being connected --to thewater header of one of saidmembers and the upperends of these same tubesbeing connected to the steamseparating drum carried bylthe water'legsof" the same member and the lower ends ofall' of the water tubes higherelevation than 'the steam separating drums, steam tubes disconnectiblyconnecting the top of each steam separating drum with of the other setbeing connected to the water header of the other said member and theupper ends of all of these latter tubes being connected to the steamseparating drum carried by the u per ends of the water legs of the samesai other member, a plurality of water circulating down pipes connectingthe bottom of each steam separating drum with the base header. of itstubular member at H intervals along their length, and substanmajorsectional parts by disconnecting saidv cross? tubes from said sidemembers and so that each of said members then carries with f it one ofthe steam separating drums and one of the sets of water tubes andd'ownpipes.

7; In asteam generator, in combination,

two substantially U-shaped tubular side members each formingat its basea substantially horizontal water header from each end of which rises "anupstandingwater. leg, a steam separating drum carried directly upon theupper ends of the. water legs of eaeh said member and into'the lowerside of which said legs-directly open, two sets of serpentine watertubes running. back andforth across the generator and the tubes of oneset being arranged in alternate relation to the tubes of the other setalong the length 'of the generator and the lower ends of all of thewater tubes in one set beingconnected ried by then per. ends of thewater legs of the same sai other member, substantially llgld cross tubesrigidly but disconnectibly connecting together the ends of said membersat the top and bottom thereby to form 1 .a substantiall rigidrectangulartubular framework, .a steam drum between and at a the steamdrum at intervals along their length, drain pipes disconnectibly.connect mg. the's team drum at its bottom witheach ofthestea-mseparating drums, and a plu- "to the water header of one ofsaid members connected to the steam separating drum carrality of watercirculating down pipes connecting the bottom of each steam" separatingdrum with the base header of its tubular member at. intervals along rtheir len 11', whereby the generator may be separated into three majorsectional parts by disconnecting and removing the steam drum and bydisconnecting the said cross tubes so that each said U-shaped sidemember then carries with it one of'the steam separatingdrnms and one setof the water tubes.

8. In a steam generator, in combination, two substantially U- hapedtubular side members each forming a water base header with upstandingwater legs, a steam separating drum carried directly upon the upper endsof the water legs of each said member and into the lower side of whichthe upper ends of said water legs directly open and which exclusive ofsaid base header forms the only direct intercommunicating connectionbetween the water legs of said member, two sets of bent serpentine watertubes run ning back and with the upper and lower ends of the respectivesets of tubes connected respectively to the steam separating drum andbase header at the same side of the generator with the tubes of the twosets alternating with each other alongthe length of the-generator andthetubes ofeach set having their bends inclined. back and forth' atopposite inclinations at opposite sides of the generator so as therebyto bring the runs .of the tubes into staggeredrelation with the tubes ofone set nesting into the tubes of the other set along the length of thegenerator, four water circulating cross connectibly connecting togetheradjacent ends of said members with one cross tube along their length,

forth across the generator.

drain plpes,

tubes rigidly. dissignature.

at the upper ends of the water legs and with another cross tube at thejunction of the water legs with the base headers and such crosstubesforming the only direct intercommunicating connection between saidmembers, a steam drum between and at a 'higher'elevationthan the steamseparating drums, steam tubes disconnectibly connecting the top of eachsteam separating drum with the topof the steam drum at intervals anddrain pipes disconnectibly connecting the steam drum at its bottom withthe bottom of eachof the steam separating drums,- whereby the generatormay be separated into three major sectional parts.

9. The invention defined in claim 4,=in which ,a separable' clampcoupling connection is provided for detachably connecting the ends ofsaid water tubes with the baseheader and the top drum to provide for theremoval'and replacement of such tubes. 10. The invention defined inclaim 7 in which areleasable taper .nipple clamp coupling connection isprovided for the ends of said water tubes, said steam tubes, said andsaid water circulating down pipes, thereby to provide for the individualremoval andreplacement of. said tubes. and pipes while the generator asa whole is in an assembledcondition. 1

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe GEORGE ALFRED BRYAN,

